Adjustable finger attachment for sewing machines



3, 1965 A. MICALE 3,198,151

ADJUSTABLE FINGER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Oct. 29, 1963INVENTOR. ANGELO M/CAL E w f 9 M u U 1 5 u m U F 3 a 2 u /5 m U m 5 Q: lu 5 w U m w 5% 3 :1 n W W w w 5 a 5 .5 u m U z l I U e m U 5 1 l3 UnitedStates Patent 3,198,151 ADJUSTABLE FINGER ATTACHMENT FUR EWING MACHINEAngelo Micaie, 9% Nassau St, North Brunswick, NJ. Filed Get. 29, 1963,S81. No. 319,805 2 Claims. ((11. I12--152) This invention relates to anattachment for eswing machines, which attachment is useful in sewing oneor more pieces of decorative material, as lace, insertion, edging, forexample, to or over a base or principal material.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device, of thecharacter mentioned, which may be adapted to sewing decorative materialof different widths, at different sewing positions relative to theprincipal material, and also adapted to regulate the distance betweenrows of stitching and the distance of such rows from the edges of thedecorative material.

Another object is to provide one device of the character mentioned whichwill do the work of many devices as heretofore made.

The drawings illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and in these:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan of the major portion of FIG. 1, as saidportion appears after turning 180 degrees;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the main part of FIG. 1 turned forwardly through90 degrees, most of the finger guides and fasteners therefor beingremoved for clearness;

FIGURE 4 is a side view of a goods guide;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an adjustable bar carrying the goods guide;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a bar for adjustably securing the frame ofthe attachment indirectly to the foot bar of the sewing machine;

FIG. 7 is a view of FIG. 6 from the right;

FIGURES 8 and 9 are respectively side and edge views of a connector foradjustably securing the goods guide bar of FIG. 5 to the frame of thedevice;

FIGURE 10 is a plan view of one of the movable finger guides which areheld in the frame of the device;

FIGURE 11 is a side view of FIG. 10 from the right;

FIGURE 12 is a section on line 1212 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 13 is a plan view of one of the several similar screws whichfasten the finger guides in selected positions in the frame of thedevice;

FIGURES 14 and 15 are respectively plan and headend views of a screwwhich tightens the bar of FIG. 5 to a connector secured to the righthand end of the main portion of the device; and

FIGURES 16 and 17 are respectively plan and headend views of a screwused for adjustably securing the bar of FIG. 6 to the left end of theframe of the device and also for securing the goods guide to the righthand end of said frame.

Referring to the drawings for a detailed description, the numeral 20indicates the frame of the device. The frame comprises an upper part 21,and a lower part 22 secured at its ends by screws 23 (FIG. 2) to theupper part. Between the contacting ends, the said parts are spaced, asindicated in at 24 (FIG. 3). The upper part 21 has an elongate verticalslot 25 (FIG. 1) between its ends, which slot extends through said upperpart. The upper part of said slot is wider than the lower part, toprovide a ledge 27 around the slot.

A plurality of similar, elongate guide fingers 31 (FIGS. 1, 2, 10, 11and 12) pass horizontally through space 24, being slightly thinner thanthe space, and extend from a line a little in front of the frame 20 tosomewhat beyond the back thereof. FIGURES l0 and 11 show the fingerguides 39 as having a boss 31 extending from one face Patented Aug. 3,I965 thereof, and as having a hole 33 extending through the boss andtransversely through the finger from face to face, the defining parts ofthe hole being threaded (FIG. 12). The finger guides being in the space24, the bosses 31 extend upwardly into the lower and narrower part ofthe longitudinal slot 25 of the upper part 21 of the frame, the uppersurfaces of the bosses then being coplanar with the upper surface of theledge 27. The finger guides are slidable in the spacing 24 lengthwisethereof to selected positions and are fixed in such positions by thumbscrews 35 (FIG. 13) which extend above the frame. The screws 35 eachhave a head 35A, a reduced portion 35B adjoining the head, and athreaded end portion 350. The threaded portion of each screw engages thethreads (FIG. 12) in a guide 3t) and in the boss 31, and the lower orinner end surfaces of the reduced portions 35B tighten against the ledge27 to hold the guide in place. i

The guides are separated to the width of the decorative material to besewed onto the base material, and one or more strips of the formermaterial are each run between a pair of guides, being pulled forward byand with the base material. The decorative material varies in width. Forthe wider material, some of the fingers may removed if necessary.

The frame 20 is adjustably secured to the sewing machine, so as to bemoved to the right or left relative to the needles, and is alsoadjustable to change its distance in front of the needles, as requiredby different materials, in which position it functions, and is furtheradjustable in a swivel movement, by which swivel movement it may betilted by raising or lowering the rear ends of the fingers to give aclear View for inspection of the quality of the sewing as the machine isrunning. The means for providing the mentioned adjustabilities are asfollows. A screw 49 (FIGS. 16 and 17) engages the threads in a recess 39(FIG. 3) formed in the left end (FIG. 1) of the frame 20, and is adaptedto tighten to the frame an L-shaped bar 41 (FIGS. 1, 6 and 7). The bar41 comprises a portion 41A which is parallel to the frame, and a portion418 at right angles thereto. The portion .113 (FIG. 7) widens at itsforward end to allow an elongate slot 44, through which slot the screw4%) extends, the head of the screw bearing against the adjacent materialwhen tightened. The portion 41A of the bar 4-1 is adjustably held in aclamp 47 so that it may be moved to the right or left, thereby movingthe whole device in the same direction, whereby the finger guides may beproperly placed relative to the needles. The clamp 47 is secured to thefoot bar 48 of the machine by means of thumb screw 49.

The device includes a goods guide (FIGS. 1 and 4) which limits the righthand edge of the goods as it runs through the machine. This guide isscrewed onto one end of a bar 56 (FIGS. 1 and 5) which is adjustablyfixed in a clamping connector 58 (FIGS. 8 and 9), so that it may bemoved to the right or left, according to the position desired for theedge of the goods. The guide 55 has a straight edge (FIG. 4) which restson the machine, and the bar 56 has its outer end portion 56A bent at anangle to the main portion to provide a thumb piece for adjusting thebar. The clamping connector 58 (FIGS. 1, 8 and 9) has an elongateaperture 64} at one end so that it is adjustably secured to the righthand end of frame 26 (FIG. 1) by a screw 61, which is similar to screw40 (FIG. 16), screw 61 passing through aperture of connector 58 and intothe threaded recess 59 (FIG. 3) in the right end of the frame. The otherend of the clamping connector 53 is split (FIG. 8) to provide opposingparts which are drawn towards each other by a screw 63 (FIGS. 1, 14 and15) which passes through threaded aperture 65 and its aligned aperture67 of said parts. The two parts formed by the split have opposedsemi-circular notches 53 (FIG. 8) to form a round aperture which t V 35r r receives the bar 56. By the construction described, the goods guidemay be raised relativeito the other parts of the device when necessary,and may be moved to the right or left, and also allows the frame to beplaced, and left in, a tilted position while the goods guide properrests on the goods. Further, the elongate slot 69 allows the guide to bemoved towards and away fromthe frame.

What is claimed is:. Y

1. A sewing machine attachment comprising an elon-' gated frame, saidframe including'spaced'upper and lower parts, the upper part having anelongated vertical slot therethrough and lengthwise thereof, a pluralityof parallel guide fingers disposed in the space between the upper andlower parts of the frame and slidable lengthwise of the frame anddisposed transverse thereto, screws passing through said vertical slotin the upper part of the frame,

each screw threadaoly engaging one of said guide fingers V and adaptedto hold it in a predetermined position, a bar, a clamp for adjustablysecuring the bar lengthwise thereof to allow movement of the frame tothe right and left, one end of said frame being swivelly connectedtosaid bar to allow tilting movement of the frame, said bar being formedto allow the frame to be connected thereto at different points so thatthe frame may be moved forward and backward in a direction transverse toits length, a single means for securing the bar to the frame both in aselected tilted position and in a selected forward-backward position, aconnector formed in part as a clamp in which the goods guide isselectively clamped, said connector swivelly secured to an end of theframe and formed for forward and backward movement relative to theframe, and a single means for fastening the connector to'the frame in adesired forward-backward position and also in a desired swivelledposition.

ZQA sewing machine attachment comprising an elongated frame, said frameincluding spaced ripper and lower parts, the upper part having anelongated vertical slot therethrough and lengthwisethereof, a pluralityof parallel guidefingers disposed in the space between the upper andlower parts of the frame and slidable lengthwise of the frame anddisposed transverse thereto, screws passing through said vertical slotin the upper. part of the frame, each screwthreadably engaging one ofsaid guide fingers and adapted to hold it in a predetermined position, abar, a clamp for adjustably securing the bar lengthwise thereof to allowmovement of the frame to the right and left, said bar being Lshaped andhaving the leg spaced from said clamp with an enlarged end-portion, saidenlarged end portion'having an elongated slot therethrough, one

end of said frame being swivelly connectedto said bar through said endportion elongated slot by a screw member, said screw member allowingsaid frame to tilt relative to said leg, said screw member being furtheroperative to allow said' frame to be moved forward and backward in adirection transverse to its length, said screw 394,970 12/88 Griest112151 891,843 6/08 Lee 112153 895,394 8/08 Woodward 112-152 2,241,2645/41 Kucera 1l2-152 X ROBERT V. SLOAN, Primary Examiner.

1. A SEWING MACHINE ATTACHMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATE FRAME, SAID FRAMEINCLUDING SPACED UPPER AND LOWER PARTS, THE UPPER PART HAVING ANELONGATED VERTICAL SLOT THERETHROUGH AND LENGTHWISE THEREOF, A PLURALITYOF PARALLEL GUIDE FINGERS DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UPPER ANDLOWER PARTS OF THE FRAME AND SLIDABLE LENGTHWISE OF THE FRAME ANDDISPOSED TRANSVERSE THERETO, SCREWS PASSING THROUGH SAID VERTICAL SLOTIN THE UPPER PART OF THE FRAME EACH SCREW THREADABLY ENGAGING ONE OFSAID GUIDE FINGERS AND ADAPTED TO HOLD IT IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION, ABAR, A CLAMP FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING THE BAR LENGTHWISE THEREOF TO ALLOWMOVEMENT OF THE FRAME TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT, ONE END OF SAID FRAME BEINGSWIVELLY CONNECTED TO SAID BAR TO ALLOW TILTING MOVEMENT OF THE FRAME,SAID BAR BEING FORMED TO ALLOW THE FRAME TO BE CONNECTED THERETO ATDIFFERENT POINTS SO THAT THE FRAME MAY BE MOVED FORWARD AND BACKWARD INA DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO ITS LENGTH, A SINGLE MEANS FOR SECURING THEBAR TO THE FRAME BOTH IN A SELECTED TILTED POSITION AND IN A SELECTEDFORWARD-BACKWARD POSITION, A CONNECTOR FORMED IN PART AS A CLAMP INWHICH THE GOODS GUIDE IS SELECTIVELY CLAMPED, SAID CONNECTOR SWIVELLYSECURED TO AN END OF THE FRAME AND FORMED FOR FORWARD AND BACKWARDMOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FRAME, AND A SINGLE MEANS FOR FASTENING THECONNECTOR TO THE FRAME IN A DESIRED FORWARD-BACKWARD POSITION AND ALSOIN A DESIRED SWIVELLED POSITION.